Lunch today

Sorry about the rather tipsy wine glasses! After hair cuts in Adelaide, and a visit to my mother we headed south to McLaren Vale and lunch, rather a long and slow one but very pleasant. A glass of wine each, oysters for John and a goats cheese souffle for me and a cup of coffee before heading home. This was what was left on Johns plate, a very qick sketch before we ordered the coffee.
Still damp and cool very pleasant.

Japan sketches

This was in the back streets of Kyoto in front of a tiny little cafe, I thought it was a deer scarer but actually it just recycled the water all the time and what I thought was all rock looks more like weathered concrete. Oh well the ferns were nice and the bamboo fencing gave a nice touch. I think we had tea there after walking down the Poets path. A magical morning.
Back to black and white, I dont know why I have this feeling that I must put something up, all those walking and postings for a year I suppose.
Trying to find the time to paint has not been easy and will probably be harder from now until Christmas.
At least Tabby's partner is now down from the territory so we are all a bit more relaxed about when the baby will be born, the 6th if not before and if it is before it is an emergency so better to wait for the 6th.
Another foal born this morning, I think it is another colt, rather nice but a filly would have been better, she is my Nattai mare and tends to cart her foals off for several days so you cant get near them.

Something bright

I havent felt much like painting lately, although I have been painting 3 d figures with acrylics but this is a watercolour and as I have rather a thing about paisley patterns, and something that looks a bit like a tile this is what I did. I was also trying to use only the three colours that are in my small paint tin, and see how good my aged and shaky hands were at doing some slightly finer stuff (not too good!!).
then blogger wouldnt let me load them until now.
Yesterday we went to the Waterhouse Club picnic, a fund raiser for our Adelaide Museum, which was fun but tiring. the guest speaker was the bat man from the museum and he gave us a great and slightly unusual talk, see my other blog!
wet squally and cold.

Japanese bonsai

I have been in Adelaide for my mothers 95th birthday ( see my other blog in the links) and have not had a lot of time to sketch but I did this one.
Raining here after high winds and heat but more rain is forecast. Yipee!
I am also checking constantly on my youngest daughter who is expecting her baby as she is on her own on their small property this week end. With the babies head engaged I may be worrying unduly but cant help it. I will be so glad (and so will she be) when her partner returns on Monday or possibly Tuesday, so long as he doesnt get rained in in the Territory.

Remembering Japan

It is a few years now since we were in Japan but I have been meaning to do some sketches from photos of the things I remember and photos I took. I am also thinking quite seriously of turning some of this into some sort of textile so there will be a few more of these. I really loved the Japan we were in and would love to go back, at least it is old people friendly!
It has been cold with a dampness in the air today and John has rushed out and ordered some millet seed to plant, we have had 13 mm and there is some more rain forecast so anything that cows will eat will be a good thing.
I emailed Patti Culea's husband John in San Diego yesterday to find out how they were fairing in the fires, he tells me she is coming home from Europe, today I think, and he has spent 2 nights in his office as they are on the edge of the evacuation area, so with any luck they will be ok. The fires looked awful, obviously a lot of new housing has gone up since I was there.

Roses by the front of the house

This is rosy cushion or some such name, I know the rendition is pretty scrappy but to be quite honest I dont feel much like painting as I am trying to do a lot of fibre stuff, getting ready for Christmas.
I also ache in every joint so I suppose there is a nasty low in the atmosphere annoying me, the rain was lovely but the after affects on me are not.

Painted and embossed washers

Well I know this isnt exactly with my boots and sketchbook but I did paint them and then emboss them so it sort of comes under the category.
I am not quite sure what I am going to do with them, possibly add to jewelery or small quilts or some thing but they were fun to make.
We had 13 mm overnight and yesterday and still damp and overcast and cool today. Not good for those harvesting or doing hay but in a year like this you do not say bad things about any rain.

More from Glenelg

Wonderful news, it is raining and has been off and on for most of the day, at least 10mm up to about 4 pm and it has been slow and steady, I just hope it keeps up for a bit longer. I think things in the garden have grown at least 6 inches, we may have to hack our way out. It is so lovely to see and smell it.
This is another bit of cast iron, no where near as fancy as some of the others with an interesting old house behind.

Cheese Festival

Today John and I went over to McLaren Vale for the cheese festival. As dairy farmers it is good to try some of the end product, although some does come from goat and I was really pleased to find that our neighbours down the road are back making cheese from their goats as they had a lovely very french style chevrotan that I have always liked and missed when they stopped a few years ago.
I did this quick sketch while waiting for John to bring to the table I had managed to snaffle some oysters and a glass of white wine, cheese always go with wine, and the oysters are the last for this year.
We got there very early as it was hot, 35 degrees and windy and thought we would be before the crowds, which we were so had time to talk to the cheese makers get a good park and were on our way by 12.
Another colt was born before we got home, he is very nice, but this makes 9 colts and 2 fillies, with 2 more to foal, and possible 2 more very late. I wonder if this is natures way of telling us we are in for a very nasty drought.
Oh and I have played a little bit with new backgrounds for my blogs. I think I like this one, my other blog has a different one.

More Lace

I made a bit of a mess of this one as it was hard to see where the designs began and ended but I think you get the general idea.
Very hot today, sounds as if it will be worse tomorrow.
I spent most of the day painting material, both with sun prints and transfer dyes and then I started doing odd things with washers, more of that when I get them finished.
Oscar had just banged on the bedroom door to be let in, in case you didnt know my computer is in what we used to call the dressing room but now has my office in it on one side and clothes on the other and a door to the outside and Oscar has discovered that if he hangs off the screen door and meows I will let him in, too bad when I am not in here, he doesnt know what to do and as he is supposed to be an inside cat and doesnt go out often, that happens all the time.
Not a lot else happened today but I kept being on the go despite that.
Sound confused, so am I!!! Probably the extra half glass of white I drank while making the Laksa tonight.

More cast iron and a feather, oh and I have been tagged

Here is another cast iron gate, I love the way they are all so different. I know some stuff was shipped out from the UK but there were also I believe local manufacturers. I had a book which I think my son has but the history is probably pretty involved.
I picked the feather up while walking and loved it. Sorry I lost the feather and now it has come in first, bother.
I have been tagged by Karen and being computer illiterate I dont know how to put her name in and see it come up as a clickable form any way all my favorite bloggers have been tagged and I dont dare ask them again, but here are 7 things about me you may never need to know!
1 I have 4 children and 10, nearly 11 grand children, the oldest 22.
2 I met John at 15, married at 19 and our 50th wedding anniversary will be in 2009 (and I am not sure I need to know that!!)
3 We live on a dairy farm drought ridden at the moment, but I also breed Welsh Ponies, all sections, and have been President of the Australian Society, that for the Welsh in Karen!
4 I only started sketching less than 5 years ago.
5 I started making cloth dolls in 1995 , went to America twice to Doll U, and have progressed on to textiles and doing the Playways course with Dale Rolleson, now starting Module 5 and have learnt so much, too late, but who cares.
6 I used to ski and scuba dive, now I walk.
7 I love my garden but it is getting too much now that we have water problems with the drought, I read, I love food and wine and talking to friends.
And an extra, I value the people I have met through the internet and blogging and the giving caring people who are all over this wonderful world of ours.

Cast iron gate

There will be a few of these bits of cast iron as I love the different styles that were available. This little house had this quite different iron on the gate and surround. It was in one of the back streets of Glenelg. I love back streets, whenever I have been in Japan one of my greatest delights was to wander the back streets, so much more to see and people to talk to, even if you dont speak the language.
I wonder if we will ever get back to Japan. The way this drought is going I dont know if we will even get a house to live in if this season is as bad as the last.
I cant believe how dry it is and all we get are strong to gale force winds and no rain to follow.

Girl at lunch

This girl had a bad case of sunburn and was sitting in the sun having lunch, so busy talking to her friend she didnt notice me.
I wondered where she was from, not Australia because we all cover up and try not to get sunburnt.
Busy day at home tidying up and doing domestic stuff.

At Glenelg yesterday

I walked for about 4 hours yesterday and at lunch time I sat overlooking part of the marina and some of the new housing so while I had lunch I sketched what I could see.
I rather liked the bird sculpture, all metal of I think a shag on what looked like a wire. Any way it is there in the midst of houses and a not very good boat, hard to get the angle right.
Today we went to the dentist and saw my mother before coming home and after John had put the air conditioner on high in the motel room and then the batteries in the controller died and we had to get some one to fix it at some early hour of the morning.

a sketch and a stamp

I need some more stamps so I have been making a couple, birds are not easy for me so I was quite pleased with the way this one turned out.
We went to friends for a lovely lunch today, too much wine, a lovely house and view of the beach and their garden in 12 months is coming on so well it is incredible.
I have walked around the ponies, and must think about tomorrow as we will be in Adelaide until later on tuesday.

Sketchbook pages

These are stamps which really are not sketches, but I did have to sketch the images before i could turn them into stamps so they are sort of sketches too.
Some of the ones on the right are a wooden Indian block but it doesnt print very well, so I decided to make it bigger and and the other is a kokopelli stamp which I made from sticky backed fun foam and put on a block. I wanted to do some of my own stamps as I am doing some fragments and frescoes for my Playways Module 5 stuff and this seemed a good way of getting them.
So out with the sketchbook and then after cutting and organising, here are my stamps. I didnt actually cut the hand stamp, that was cut from a cutter.
Very cold today, no big walk although twice I went around the mares and foals, the newest foal has a growth on his neck so will have to see a vet next week. We actually got a couple of mm of rain as well that we really were not expecting.
New young broad beans from the garden for dinner tonight with potatoes and atlantic salmon done in a parcel (foil) with olive oil, dill, lemon juice, soy sauce, salt and pepper and a bit of fresh coriander. Into the oven for 15 minutes. Yum.

End of the bed

I hadnt done any sketching and felt I should at least have a try so in true Everyday Matters style I sat in bed and drew the end of it. Of course in typical fashion I hadnt left enough room as instead of blocking the whole thing in I started at one end and then couldnt quite get the last post all in. well it does at least give an idea of what it looks like when sitting up in bed. An old iron bed in original condition, cream enamel and nickle plate, not taken back and brassed as so many were in the 70's.
While doing this I realised that all the fancy bits are on the other side.
It is a comfortable double bed, although we have both got a bit fatter we still manage to fit into it very well and get lost when put into queen or king size beds, although we dont fit as well into a single as we once did.
Probably more information than you ever wanted to know.

Playing with flowers

I had fun today throwing some paint around and then turning the splodges into flowers, not much of a composition but I was trying out a few ideas out of a watercolour how to book.
Of course I then added my own ideas, not sure if it worked but it is colourful.
Cold day with a minute amount of rain, I am still having to water as it is so dry.
Oscar spent all day on the bed glowering at me every time I came in as he had to have his flu inoculation. He was not pleased.

Camellia, azalea and rose leaves

My grand daughter Celina picked these for me so as I was tired after our 5 km walk I sketched them and added a bit of paint.
Celina came to stay on Monday night and left late on Tuesday. I am doing this first thing Wednesday morning as we had no end of trouble getting on to the internet yesterday, it has been bad for a few days but finally our server admitted to "a few problems" so I am up early this morning in case it gets worse again today.
Still no rain, getting windy again. I am going to Adelaide today to see my mother. Another colt foal this morning, early.
John has not been feeling well so I hope I dont catch whatever he has.

Oscar

Not a particularly inspiring day or sketch but after cleaning the house, which was full of his hair, I just managed to catch Oscar reclining on "his" chair, .
John was fishing and although I wanted to get something else done looking at the diary meant today was cleaning day.
I am back watering pots and I did go for a walk around the mares those who have foaled and those who are waiting.

White Lillies

My youngest daughter Tabby gave me these lovely lillies in the rather gorgeous vase for my birthday. I had to at least sketch them, although today I am feeling rather tired and am aching in strange places, and not for any reason that I can see except that it has gone back to being cold. we did have the odd spot of rain but not enough to make any difference.
I have been busy working on other things and cant do everything, what I do need to do is the house, perhaps tomorrow!!

Waves on rocks

This is another sketch from yesterday, the waves crashing over the granite boulders at the entrance to Horseshoe Bay.
A busy and tiring day today, I have just walked around the mares and looked at the foals, they all look fit and well.
A few drops of rain, I wish there were more.

Pt Elliott

Well another birthday is almost over.
I had a lovely day and I sketched this during lunch at the Flying fish Cafe which is on the beach at Pt Elliott.
Couldnt get it quite straight on the scanner, maybe I had too much wine at lunch.
Family and friends have called and dropped in, a new foal born this morning, the day was cool and pleasant, what more could you want.

Stained glass windows

I am being hounded by my friend P.... to put something up again, I wonder if she ever looks at my other blog, I have been keeping that up to date.
Any way this morning, and for some reason this will be dated Monday not Tuesday, I dont seem to be able to get blogger to change that, so this morning we went to a funeral over at Pt Elliott in St Judes church which is a lovely tiny church but as the person who had died is the father of friends of ours and a local identity we went early as John said there would be no room in the church if we didnt get there early. I think we got there ridiculously early but I had time to sit quietly in the back row next to the wall and sketch the stained glass windows which were quite lovely. Not that it was easy as the church did fill up very quickly and I was bumped a bit as I sketched.
I am not in a drawing mood at the moment so there will be more gaps in production!!!